"I had the pleasure of meeting the Reverend Lawrence Chidongo, when he came to study for his doctorate at Lampeter.

The congregation learned about life in his home village of Kinango, Kenya and how they hoped to build a school. When I heard this I said " Lawrence, we have so much and you have so little I am sure we can help you. Leave it with me."

From November 2004 over £11,000 has been raised and the school is built and functioning. When the project started the number on roll was 96 and it now stands at over 400 because many parents want a Christian education for their children.

Last month ten representatives from the chapel went out to Kinango to take part in the opening ceremony of the Kinango Methodist Academy.

On our first visit we were invited to walk the last 200 yards to the church and school. The sight that met our eyes will stay with us forever. Children, teachers, parents and church members lined the road to greet us, singing and dancing as we made our way towards them.

On reaching the welcoming party the youngest children presented each of us with a garland of fresh flowers. This was a very emotional and overwhelming occasion, bringing a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye. They made us feel like royalty!

The school consists of 3 classrooms and a head teacher's study / office. Preparations are all ready in hand to extend the building.

After a superb lunch served by the ladies of the church we presented the gifts we had taken out - books, pens pencils, toothbrushes, toothpaste, plasters etc.

The second visit was on Sunday 21st October and the group conducted the morning service. There were songs, hymns, sketches, prayers and of course a sermon. Hopefully the service gave them some idea about worship in a British church. A banner " All one in Christ Jesus " was presented to the congregation from St Thomas' Church.

But the main part of the visit was to take part in the official opening ceremony of the school. My husband and I, as representatives of St Thomas' Methodist Church, were greatly honoured to unveil the plaque at the start of the proceedings. Each of us then planted an Indian Love Tree in front of the school building. The heart-shaped leaves will be a reminder of the love between the two communities.

There were many speeches from various officials. I gave the penultimate speech, thanking the children for their splendid entertainment and giving the Head Teacher a Presentation Book from Lampeter. My husband, as Chair of the Kinango Committee, gave the final speech, mostly in English, with a little Welsh and some Durumu.

I speak for everyone in the group by saying it was a great honour to have been to Kinango, and to have taken part in the opening ceremony of Kinango Methodist Academy."

Article by Janet Davies